In the second month of the lunar calendar, the color of spring gradually deepened. By the banks of the Qinhuai River, the fluttering willow catkins were mixed in with the songs on both sides of the river, dancing in the exuberant spring.
In the early morning, sitting in a restaurant on a busy street, one could often see pedestrians coming and going from Auspicious Street not far away. This Auspicious Street was a famous place where brothels gathered in Jiangning. At this time, many men who were staying overnight could be seen coming out. Some were still tidying up their clothes on the road, and some looked panicked. They probably had something to do, so they put on their clothes and ran all the way. Of course, there weren't many of them.
In this era, visiting prostitutes was a very common thing. Some scholars would greet their friends on the streets in high spirits. Then, they would put their arms around each other's shoulders and talk about which girl they had slept with last night. There were also some who looked like a proper gentleman, elegant and romantic. There weren't many clues that could be seen from them.
"Oh, Xiaochan, look at that guy, he even bought meat porridge. This guy is planning to bring it back for his wife and children … he's quite family-oriented."
"That young master? Doesn't look like it. Young master, you can't say that about him just because he came from there. "
"You don't understand. Although they all look the same on the surface, there is a certain difference in the expression of a man who sleeps at home and a man who sleeps outside at night." Ning Yi sat in front of the window on the second floor and threw a silver roll into his mouth.
"Young master only knows how to look? Then teach Xiaochan, okay? "
"What do you want?"
"In the future, if young master stays in the brothel and doesn't go home, Xiaochan will be able to tell."
"Heh."
The reason why he came to this restaurant to observe who didn't go home at night was mainly because he found that this restaurant's breakfast tasted good. Xiaochan had nothing to do today, so she came out with him. At this time, the two sat in front of the window on the second floor and pointed, occasionally making a surprising discovery.
"Young master, young master, look at that old eunuch, he also came from a brothel."
"How can you tell?"
"Because the girl in the window of the small building on the side is still waving at him …"
"Old but strong, really so … enviable …"
"I'm not envious at all. I never go to such a place."
The master and servant chatted and laughed. At this time, there were many people in the restaurant. Ning Yi recognized that they were the men who had not returned last night. They were sitting at a table on the left. Their clothes were neat and tidy, and they seemed to be in good spirits. They were describing the scene of last night in poems, and would occasionally burst into laughter. When Xiaochan heard those poems, she would often turn her head to take a look, blushing, and then turn her head again.
At this moment, this group of scholars were talking about romantic affairs with a frivolous attitude. After a while, someone lowered his voice and said, "Hey, now that Miss Shishi is here, do you think we'll have a chance to meet her?"
"I heard that this Li Shishi is only visiting friends and doesn't entertain guests. I'm afraid it's rare to see her."
"That's right."
"I'm afraid he's going to meet those big shots."
"That's true. However, people like Cao Guan and Liu Qingdi, I'm afraid we'll have a chance to meet them."
"Brother Ji Chang's family is very knowledgeable, and his uncle is an official in the government. I'm afraid we'll have a chance to meet them."
"Haha, I'm just joking. Last year, when Gu Yanzhen came back, he said that he met Li Shishi in Tokyo. I don't have this luck."
"I wonder how that Li Shishi, acclaimed as the number one courtesan of the capital, compares to Qilan and Luo Miaomiao of my Jiangning …"
"I'm afraid that Qi Lan and the others are not as good. Moreover, I think that this time, Li Shishi really chose the right time to visit friends. Think about it, the current top courtesan Qi Lan was deliberately promoted by the Puyang family. Although her skills are amazing, she is too stink of money. Luo Miaomiao is gorgeous, but in reality, she's not grand enough. In the past, that Feng Xiaojing was known as an orchid in an empty valley, but … alas, she was forced to jump off a building by that ignorant Chen Yong and has now fallen silent. And that lively and pure Yuan Jin 'er is said to have turned over a new leaf. Two of the four brothels are gone. Now, if Qi Lan and Luo Miaomiao were to go up against a big shot like Li Shishi, they wouldn't be able to suppress the situation. Say, do you think that Li Shishi deliberately chose this time to come, and although she said it was just to visit friends, in reality, it's to provoke us? "
"… If that's really the case, we Jiangning scholars must unite and not let her take advantage of us."
"Perhaps you're thinking too much …"
Although the tone of the conversation on the other side made it sound like they were talking about confidential matters, their volume did not decrease at all. When Ning Yi heard the names of Li Shishi and Gu Yanzhen, he became a little interested. Seeing his expression, Xiaochan listened for a while, "Young master, young master, that Li Shishi is coming. If you want to see her, can you?"
Ning Yi was stunned, "I don't know her, uh … you heard that she's coming?"
"Yes, I heard it a few days ago." Xiaochan nodded, "It's said that Miss Li Shishi came to visit friends to relax. It's supposed to be a secret mission, but somehow it's spread like wildfire. Miss also knows about it. Yesterday, when I was chatting with the shopkeeper's wife of Xingqing Lane, we talked about it. Miss said, 'If my husband wants to see her, he can probably see her. But you also know that my sister's husband's temperament is different from others. He's not interested in getting close to the top courtesan for the sake of fame. He often says that this romantic scholar is just a rumor. Oh, the rumor is a rumor.'"
She imitated Su Tan 'er's tone, but the pride in her words was overflowing. It's not that our young master can't go, but he doesn't care. Ning Yi laughed, Xiaochan thought for a while, and said, "In fact, if you want to go, Xiaochan thinks it's good to participate in these things sometimes. Miss also said so."
Ning Yi said with a smile, "You don't mean what you say, right? If I nod, I'll be miserable. "
"No, really." Xiaochan shook her head hard, "Young master usually doesn't care about those women. After the son-in-law became famous, Miss and Little Chan were also very happy. Although the son-in-law said that these gatherings were just for fun and to flatter each other, everyone would be very happy to flatter each other. The son-in-law would participate in it, write one or two poems to scare those people, and then be happy for a while. It would be quite interesting. In fact, Xiaochan is also like this. If someone praises Xiaochan, Xiaochan will also be very happy. "
Xiaochan's words were not fake. Although as a woman in the family, she would certainly not be happy to see her man hooking up outside, but it was also a matter of propriety in this era. Usually, this group of talented scholars and beautiful women gathered together, which was also a kind of entertainment that was promoted by society. As Xiaochan said, everyone would flatter each other, and the people involved would also feel happy.
If he participated too much in this kind of thing, he would sincerely be interested in those famous prostitutes. Of course, Su Tan'er, Xiaochan and the others would not be happy. But if Ning Yi did not participate at all, at this time, people like Su Tan'er would feel that they seemed to be affecting Ning Yi's way of being happy. They even felt that it was a really healthy way of life for Ning Yi to participate once or twice. Only by showing his poems and attracting the attention of the courtesans would it be a really healthy way of life. In short, they understood that Ning Yi had nothing to do with those courtesans. If Ning Yi became famous, his family would actually be quite vain.
Ning Yi thought for a while in his heart, and also laughed for a while, then said, "Xiaochan is really amazing." He reached out to touch her head, and Xiaochan chuckled.
"In this case, young master really doesn't want to see that Miss Li Shishi?"
"Your young master's charm is too great. What if she falls in love with me after seeing me, and cries and refuses to leave Jiangning …"
"Then …" Xiaochan lowered her head, and her face blushed. "Then, then wait until young master marries Chan'er, then let her marry into the family …" Her voice was as soft as a mosquito. If an ordinary person heard Ning Yi's boast, they would laugh and ridicule him, saying that he felt too good about himself. However, Xiaochan's reaction was beyond his expectation. Ning Yi was stunned, and then he could only shake his head and smile. In his heart, he couldn't help but wonder who was better between Li Shishi and Yunzhu and Jin'er.
This comparison was not because of the famous prostitute, but because Li Shishi was too famous. Presumably, she had a deep foundation in singing and dancing. Ning Yi was not interested in ancient singing and dancing, but since he heard Yunzhu's playing and singing, he changed his view. He knew that a powerful person was powerful after all. Of course, this was also because after listening to the style of music he taught, Yunzhu's singing performance had also changed, and the meaning of the song was flattering.
Yuan Jin'er was not willing to perform in front of him. After all, she had turned over a new leaf and felt that there were not too many worthy audiences. This kind of thing inevitably felt like flattering this stinky man. But from the few times she saw the song and dance, after all, it was still pleasing to the eye. It was said that when Ning Yi was not around, she would jump in front of Yunzhu to entertain herself. Because of her cheerful mood and bursts of inspiration, she would rehearse a new dance for Yunzhu to see from time to time. Sometimes when Jin'er left, Yunzhu would laugh and talk about it, and imitate it.
The skills of the two were similar. Yunzhu was very good at singing and playing musical instruments, but in dancing, there was not much difference between her and Yuan Jin'er. However, when she was dancing, there was no music, so she could only let Ning Yi see the beauty of her body rhythm. If she performed a little more, often Yuan Jin'er would run back and loudly interrupt, protesting that Yunzhu used her dance to please her lover, and that it was a shameful act of valuing love over friendship. In fact, Yunzhu was gentle and demure, while Jin'er was lively and active. Even if they performed the same dance, there were still some differences.
A few scholars at this table were still talking about Li Shishi. On the other side, three men came up from the staircase. Under the guidance of the waiter, they sat down at the side. These three people were all dressed in short clothes, and each of them carried a weapon. One of them was even injured. It seemed that they were all Jianghu people. After sitting down, they ordered their meals.
"Damn, dozens of people set up an ambush yesterday, but those Liao people still managed to escape. What bad luck!"
"They can't escape. Old Master Cheng of the Hundred Sabers Alliance has personally led people to chase after them. He set up an inescapable net, and the government is also cooperating. This group of Liao dogs entered the hinterland of the Central Plains to assassinate people. If they can escape unscathed, then they really think that the Central Plains has no one to deal with. "
"But the Liao people leading them are really powerful. They can actually kill their way out of the encirclement of so many experts …"
Hearing this, Ning Yi frowned and became concerned …
*****
He woke up late and continued to the next chapter.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
